In general tape feeders, a sprocket is rotated while teeth of the sprocket are engaged with sprocket holes that are formed at a constant pitch along a side edge of a component supply tape which is set in the tape feeder, as described in PTL 1 (JP-A-2010-109109), so that the component supply tape is pitch-fed toward a component adsorption position and a component in the component supply tape is adsorbed by an adsorption nozzle of a component mounter at the component adsorption position.
An operation for setting the component supply tape in the tape feeder is performed by removing the tape feeder from the component mounter, setting a tape reel around which the component supply tape is wound in the tape feeder, and causing the teeth of the sprocket to be engaged with the sprocket holes of the component supply tape which is drawn out from the tape reel.
However, the operation for setting the component supply tape in the tape feeder is troublesome according to the configuration of PTL 1 described above. In PTL 2 (JP-A-2011-138834) filed by the present applicant, a reel cassette that guides the component supply tape which is drawn out from the tape reel to the component adsorption position is removably disposed in a feeder main body. An operation lever mechanism is disposed for upward and downward movements of a sprocket driving unit that pitch-feeds the component supply tape to the component adsorption position. A clamp member (positioning member) that clamps the reel cassette so that an operator operates the operation lever mechanism, during mounting and removal of the reel cassette on and from the feeder main body, to lower the sprocket driving unit to a retract position where the teeth of the sprocket are positioned below the sprocket holes and the clamp member is retracted to an unclamp position for the reel cassette to be mounted on the feeder main body. Then the operator operates the operation lever mechanism to lift the sprocket driving unit to an engagement position where the teeth of the sprocket are in a state of being engaged with the sprocket holes of the component supply tape and the clamp member is moved to a clamp position for the reel cassette to be clamped.